Air distribution unit



Jan. 19, 1965 E. H. PERSON ETAL AIR DISTRIBUTION UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 29, 1962 INVENTORS:

ERNEST HJALMAR PERSON WILLIAM J. WALSH 77g wjw fli ATT'YS Jan. 19, 1965 E. H. PERSON ETAL 3,166,001

AIR DISTRIBUTION UNIT Filed March 29, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

55: 3: 92 A8 391 5 83 l 4 4 7e w |IH 5 1 a2 f 74 as FIG. 4

|uu I, 96 I00 Hm 97 99 so A as lol 98 INVENTORS:

ERNEST HJALMAR PERSON WILLIAM J. WALSH 1965 E. H. PERSON ETAL 3,

AIR DISTRIBUTION UNIT Filed March 29, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ERNEST HJALMAR PERSON WILLIAM J. WALSH W W Mti 3,166,1i01 AIR DKSTRIBUTION UNIT Ernest Hjalmar Person, New Britain, and Wiiliam l Walsh, NewiugtomConn assignors to Allied Thermal Corporation, New Britain, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Mar. 29, 1%2, Ser. No. 183,526 11 Claims. (Ci. 98-44?) This invention relates in general to air distribution units adapted to be associated with an air supply duct and mounted in the wall or ceiling of a room, and is directed more particularly to improvements in the airdeflecting means within the unit which causes the air to emerge from the unit in a predetermined pattern.

The invention has special significance in connection with an air distribution unit where a perforated plate covers the outlet end thereof so that when the unit is placed in the ceiling of a room, for example, it will blend with such material as acoustic tile.

Air distribution units of this general type have been known heretofore and have been made to operate eflectively within certain predetermined limits. For example, it is often desirable'for the air emerging from the unit to be deflected along the wall or ceiling in which it is mounted. On the other hand, there may be certain installments of this type where it is desirable to have the air emerge in a more direct path outwardly of the unit, or where it is desirable to prevent air from emerging from the unit in one or more directions.

The air distribution units heretofore known have not been capable of such a wide range of uses and it is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide such an air distribution unit having adjustable vanes therein capable of being adjusted to direct air emerging therefrom in predetermined directions.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air distribution unit which will eifectively direct and distribute air emerging therefrom along the ceiling or wall in which the unit is mounted.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in an air distribution unit a novel form of air deflecting means which will give to the unit a greater capacity than has been possible with air deflectors heretofore known and 'used.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an air distribution unit with a novel arrangement with inner and outer vanes constituting the air deflecting means therein which may be easily adjusted to obtain the desired results and which will permit a greater amount of air forms of air deflectors, even though the combined area of the vanes is greater than the area of the inlet to the unit and even though the vanes are so positioned as to intercept all of the air stream.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,

- in which of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a further modified form of the inner vanes only of the air deflecting means; and

United StatesPatent O 'to flow therethrough for any given pressure than other ice FIG. 7 is a fragmentary Vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and especially to the form ofthe invention shown in FIGS-l and 2, an air supply duct is identified by the numeralyl and may be of any suitable and well known construction capable of carrying an air supply to an opening in the wall or ceiling of a room and directing the air outwardly The airdistribution unit is mounted in an opening '4 of a wall or ceiling 5 so that the upstanding collar 2 fits snugly within the duct 1. The unit is mounted in any suitable and well known manner within the opening 4, and in the specific form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the outwardly extending walls 3 terminate in a flange 6 which has a further flange 7 extending therefrom and is adapted'to abut the wallet ceiling 5. r

The outlet end of the unit formed by'the'outwardly extending walls 3 has a perforated face plate 8 thereover and'mounted thereon with a predetermined number of openings therethrough of suitable size and number which will allow free passage of air outwardly therethrough.

An air distribution unit having these elements including the perforated plate covering onthe outlet end thereof is Ewell known in the art, and the construction and mounting thereof in the wall or ceiling of a room may be by any conventional means.

' The invention herein resides primarily in the form and specific use to which the unit is to be put and the location of that unit in a given wall or ceiling. For example, it may be, and usually is, desirable to produce an air pattern of the emerging air which provides a curtain of air along the wall or ceiling in which the unit is mounted. On the other hand, there may be occasions when it might be desirable to direct some or all of the air in diflerent patterns, or to completely prevent air flow from one or more sides of the unit. Thus, the invention herein is designed to carry out these objects and purposes.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is illustrated a support member 9 which in this case is somewhat narrow and elongated because of the rectangular shape of the air distribution unit. This support member 9 is supported between the inlet and outlet ends of the unit by support means generally indicated by the numerals 10 and 11. 1

The support means 19 include elongated diverging leg members 12 and 13 which are bent downwardly at their outer ends as at 14 and 15, so that these outer ends may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the outwardly tapered side walls. The support means 11 likewise consists of the elongated diverging legs 16 and 17 which terminate at their outer ends in the down-turned portions 18 and 19, respectively, which are also secured to the out wardly tapered side walls in any suitable manner. In the specific form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 these elongated members 12, 13, 16, and 17 are'formed of wire. The ends of the legs 12 and 13 meet at 20 at shorter side 28 adjacent thesupport member 9 and 'have openings adapted to receive hinge pins.

port member 9, as shown at 21, and at that point are secured to said support member. 7 Inall forms of the invention herein disclosed there is the longer side 29 of vane 23. Vane 54 has its shorter I. side 58 adjacent the longer side 31 of vane 24, while the provided a set of inner directional vanes and a s'etof outerdirectional vanes. Also, in allforms of the invention all of such vanes are adjustable and may be rotated about a pivot or hinge means outwardly toward the perforated cover plate or inwardly therefrom, thereby to establish'a predetermined air pattern and .air flow throughthe outlet.

. Likewise, in all forms of the invention the. area of the perforated plate 8 which iscovered by the combined area area ofthe inlet and will be intercepted by all of the air from the inlet and by this arrangement the unit has a greater capacity, i.e., a greater amount of air for a given pressure than other air distribution units presently known.

, her 9. Thus, vane 22 has its'shorter side 26 adjacentthe support member and its longer side 27 positioned nearer the perforated plate 8. Thevane 23, likewise, has its its longer side 29 nearer the perforated plate 8.

Vane 24 has its shorter side 30 adjacent the support of the vanes and support member will be greater than the shorter side 59 of vane 55 is adjacent the longer side 33 of vane 25.

Vane 52 is provided with similar hinge members 60 and 6 and its opposed vane 53 has hinge members 62 and 63; Vane 54' has hinge members 64 and 65 while its opposed vane55 hashinge members 66 and 67.

L-shaped hinge pins 68, 69, 70, and 71 are secured,

respectively, to the diverging legs 17, 13, 12, and 16 of the. support means. These L-shape'd hinge pins have legs which are received in openings in the respective hinge members in the same manner describedabove with respect tothe inner vanes,,as clearly shown in-FIG. 1,

thereby enabling the outer vanes likewise to be adjusted outwardly or inwardly to control the direction and amount of airemerging from the outlet end of the air distribution unit.

It is to be'noted that when all of the inner and outer vanes are in the position shown in FIG. 2 so that their outer longer sides are adjacent the perforated plate, all

of the air entering the unit through the inletdefined by the upstanding collar 2 willbe intercepted and directed member and its longer side 31 outwardly thereof. Like- 7 wise, vane 25 has its shorter side 32 adjacent the support memberand its longer side 33 outwardly therefrom.

In this form of the invention all of the vanes are adposition where they will all be in substantially the same plane. To accomplish this result, the vane. 22 is provided with a'pair of hinge members 34 and 35 formed integral therewith or attached thereto,.each of which has an opening for the reception of a pivot pin. The opposite vane 23 also has similar hinge members 36 and 37 which For .this' purpose a wire member 38 is bent into an L-shape having legs 39 and 40. Wire member 41 is also L-shaped. and has legs 42 and 43. At the opposite end of the support member 9 the L-shaped wire member44 has a leg 45 and a leg 46, while the L-shaped wire '47 has a leg 43 and another leg 49. e i I The L-shaped wiremembers 38, 41, 44,- and 47 are secured to the diverging legs 13, 12, 17 and 16, respective- 'ly, of the support means.

As may be clearly seen in FIG. 1, the leg 39 is received within the opening ofthe hinge member 37, and the leg member 42 is received within the opening of the hinge member 35. The leg 45 is' received in the opening of the hinge 36 and leg 48 is received in the opening of hinge 34. Thus, with this construction the vanes 22 and 23 may be moved inwardly or outwardly as desired to aid in obtaining the proper air deflection.

' .Vanes 24 and 25 also have similar hinge members 50 and 51, respectively, with openings therein to receive pivot pins. Hinge member 51 has an opening which receives the leg members 46 and49 while hinge member 51 V has an opening to receive leg members 32 and 40; Thus,

side 56 adjacent the longer side 27 of vane 22,1whil'e the opposite outer vane 53 has its shorter side 57 adjacent 35 justable so that they may be rotated about a pivot outwardly towardthe perforated plate 8, or inwardly to a outwardly 'to flow adjacent the wall or ceiling in which the unit is mounted. If it should be desired that any of the air be cut off and prevented from emerging from the outlet at any given side, then the inner and outer vanes of that particular side/may be adjusted inwardly so that I amount of air'maybe distributed for any given pressure than presently known air distribution units utilize for the same purpose.

In FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 there is illustrated a modified form of the invention shown in FIGS. ,1 and 2 and wherein the primary difference resides in the manner in which the inner and outer vanes are made to be adjustable. FIGS. 3, '4 and 5 show a square air deflecting means to be inserted in anfair duct having a square cross section, while FIGS. 6 and 7 are somewhat similarly constructed except that these latter figures show an elongated rectangular construction. In FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 the air deflecting means comprises the inner vanes '72,. 73, 74, and 75. These are also of a trapezoidalshape with their shorter sides inwardly thereof and their longer sides outwardly thereof. The center support member is indicated by the nuemal 76 and has the vanes 72,. 73, 74, and 75 all formed .tofore described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 in that integral. therewith. Thus, the sides 77, 78, 79 and 80 of the support member 76 also formthe shorter sides of the trapezoidal vanes 72, 73, 74, and 75, respectively.

Support means for the vanes are similar to those here they comprise elongated diverging'leg members extending outwardlytoward the corners or sides of the out wardly tapered side walls of the unit and are secured thereto. The connecting inner'portions of the diverging legs are secured to the support member 76.

Thus,-in FIGS. 3 and S'there are two support means generally indicated at 81 and 82. Support means 81includes the outwardly diverging leg members 83 and 84,

the ends of which are suitably formed to be secured to the outwardly tapered sidewalls of the unit or to the upstanding collar thereof, as shown in'FIG. 4. Support means 82 includes the diverging legs 85 and 86 .whose outer ends are similarly formed for securing to theside walls or collar of the unit. 5

The meeting point of each pair of diverging legs at the center of the unit is secured to the support member 76 by any suitable means, such as clamping, brazing, spot welding, or the like, whereby the vanes are supported between the inlet and outlet ends of the air distribution t, unit. The vanes and their integral support member 76 are made preferably of metal of such weight as to be easily bent along the shorter sides of the vanes and thus adjusted as may be desired, for the reasons and to accomplish the purposes heretofore described with respect to the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

This unit also has the outer vanes 87, 88, 89, and 90 each of which is also of trapezoidal formation. Metal tabs are formed integral with adjacent outer'vanes to afford hinge means as well as means for supporting the outer vanes. For example, a tab 91 is formed integral with outer vanes 87 and 90 at the inner corners thereof. Tab 92 is formed integral with outer vanes 87 and- 88 at the inner corner where the shorter sides thereof meet. Tab 93 is formed integral with outer vanes 88 and 89 in the same relative location, and tab 94 is formed integral with outer vanes 89 and '90.

These tabs, and thus the vanes integral therewith, are secured by any suitable means, such as brazing, clamping, welding and the like, to the diverging legs of the support means as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 and thus said support means position both the inner and outer sets of vanes between the inlet and outlet openings in the unit.

The outer vanes are slotted at their corners from the tabs outwardly so that each outer vane is attached integrally to the two tabs at each end of its shorter side. For example, vane 87 is integral with the two tabs 91 and 92 and since these tabs are spaced apart, the vane 87 may be bent along the line at the juncture of the vane and tab. The same is true with vane 88 which is integral with the two tabs 92 and 93. Likewise, vane 89 is integral with tabs 93 and 94 and vane 90 is integral with tabs 94 and 91.

In each case the line of connection between the tabs and vanes afford a hinge or pivot means whereby the vanes may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly in the same manner heretofore described with respect to the other form of the invention.

In FIG. 4 the air duct is indicated by the numeral 95 and is shown as receiving the upstanding collar 96 of the air distribution unit. In this case the outwardly tapered side walls 97 are formed at their outer edges into a channel shape, as at 98, which is adapted to abut against the wall or ceiling 99 when the unit is inserted within the opening 100 thereof. The outlet formed by the outwardly tapered side walls is covered by the perforated plate 101 and the device operates in substantially the same way as that heretofore described above, and the vanes are adjustable to accomplish the same purposes as those described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 6 illustrates the inner vanes only of a construction similar to that shown in FIG. 3 except that the unit is shown as being of an elongated rectangular form so that the center support member is longer than it is wide. The support member is indicated by the numeral 102 and has formed integral therewith the four vanes 103, 104, 105, and 106. The support means are the same as those described with respect to FIG. 3 and include the members 107 and 108 each of which have diverging legs secured to the support member 102 and to the outer wall of the distribution unit.

The primary difference between this construction and that shown in FIG. 3 is that the longer vanes 105 and 106, while being formed integral with the support member 102, nevertheless are severed from the support members by means of the slots 109, 110, 111, and 112, respectively. Thus, vane 103 is connected integrally with the support member 102 along the relatively short lines 113, 114 and 115, while vane 105 is connected similarly to the opposite side of the support member at 116, 117 and 118. The end vanes 104 and 106 are integrally connected to the oppoiste ends of the support member along the lines 119 and 120, respectively, which allow the vanes to be adjusted in the same manner heretofore described with respect to FIG. 3.

'6 I FIG. 7 illustrates the transverse sectional appearance of the device shown in FIG. 6 but has added thereto the .outer vanes 121 and 122. The outer end vanes are not shown but all of the outer vanes will be mounted by integral tabs on the support means in the same manner described above with respect to the outer vanes in FIG. 3.

' It will be evident from the foregoing that the present invention provides for controlling the direction andflow of air outwardly from the air supply duct in patterns to bend or rotate the inner and outer sets of vanes in a manner to obtain the desired direction of air flow, and the vaneswill thereafter remain in such adjusted position. Thus, the present invention affords advantages not heretofore obtainable in structures of this character presently known.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changesas fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. An air distribution unit adapted to be mounted in an air supply duct comprising, a tubular casing of rectangul'ar shape having an upstanding collar forming an air inlet at one end' thereof and outwardly tapered side walls forming an air outlet at the other end thereof of greater area than said inlet, a perforated plate covering said outlet end, and air deflecting means within said casiing including, a support member positioned between the inlet and outlet ends, relatively narrow elongated sup- .port means attached to said support member and'extending outwardly therefrom toward the corners of said casing formed by the mating ends of said tapered side walls :and secured thereto, a plurality of inner directional vanes adjacent said support member, a plurality of outer directional vanes adjacent the outer sides of said inner directional vanes, and supported by said support means, and hinge means pivotally mounting said inner and outer directional vanes along the inner edges thereof for movement outwardly toward said perforated plate, the area of said perforated plate. which is covered by the combined areas of said support member and said vanes in all positions thereof being greater than the area of said inlet.

2. An air distribution unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said support member is positioned substantially midway between the inlet and outlet ends of said casing.

3. An air distribution unit as defined in claim 1, wherein the hinge means for all of said vanes includes openings along the inner sides of said vanes, and pins mounted on said support means and received in said openings.

4. An air distribution unit as defined in claim 1, wherein the hinge means for said inner vanes are formed by an integral connection between said inner vanes and said support member, thereby making said inner vanes bendable with respect to said support member.

5. An air distribution unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said inner vanes are of traperzoidal shape with the shorter sides thereof adjacent the support member.

6. An air distribution 'unit as defined in claim 5, wherein said outer vanes are also of trapezoidal shape with the shorter sides thereof adjacent the longer sides of said inner vanes.

7. An air distribution unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongated support means comprise opposed wires each having leg portions diverging outwardly from said support member toward the corners of said casing.

8. An air distribution unit adapted to be mounted in an air supply duct comprising, a tubular casing of rectangular shape having an'upstanding collar forming an air inlet atone end thereof and outwardly tapered side walls forming an air outlet at the other end thereof greater area than said inlet, ,a perfonated plate covering said outlet end, andair deflecting means within said casing including a support member positioned between the with respect to saidtabs, the area ofsaid perforated plate covered by the combined areas of said vanes and support member being greater than the area of said inlet, and

meansv within said casing to support said vanes.

9. An, air distribution unit as defined in claim 8, wherein'sa-id'last named means comprise elongated strips 7 extending outwardly'from said support member toward the corners of said casing, and means connecting said support member and said tabs with said strips.

10; An air distribution unit as 'defined in claim 8, wherein said last named means comprise elongated wire -members extending outwardly from said support member toward the corners of said casing,,-and means connecting said support member and said tabs with said wire members; 7 p a 11. An air distribution unit as defined in claim 8, wherein the integral connection of said inner directional vanes with said support'member is' interrupted with slots to facilitate bending of said vanes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,101,642 I Lenling June 30, 1914 3,033,097 Phillips May 8, 1962 3,046,866 Straub July 31, 1962 3,065,684

ODay Nov. 7, 1962 

1. AN AIR DISTRIBUTION UNIT ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN AN AIR SUPPLY DUCT COMPRISING, A TUBULAR CASING OF RECTANGULAR SHAPE HAVING AN UPSTANDING COLLAR FORMING AN AIR INLET AT ONE END THEREOF AND OUTWARDLY TAPERED SIDE WALLS FORMING AN AIR OUTLET AT THE OTHER END THEREOF OF GREATER AREA THAN SAID INLET, A PERFORATED PLATE COVERING SAID OUTLET END, AND AIR DEFLECTING MEANS WITHIN SAID CASING INCLUDING, A SUPPORT MEMBER POSITIONED BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET ENDS, RELATIVELY NARROW ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM TOWARD THE CORNERS OF SAID CASING FORMED BY THE MATING ENDS OF SAID TAPERED SIDE WALLS AND SECURED THERETO, A PLURALITY OF INNER DIRECTIONAL VANES ADJACENT SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, A PLURALITY OUTER DIRECTIONAL VANES ADAJCENT THE OUTER SIDES OF SAID INNER DIRECTIONAL VANES, AND SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORT MEANS, AND HINGE MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID INNER AND OUTER DIRECTIONAL VANES ALONG THE INNER EDGES THEREOF FOR MOVEMENT OUTWARDLY TOWARD SAID PERFORATED PLATE, THE AREA OF SAID PERFORATED PLATE WHICH IS COVERED BY THE COMBINED AREAS OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND SAID VANES IN ALL POSITIONS THEREOF BEING GREATER THAN THE AREA OF SAID INLET. 